Unexpectedly Mated

20

“So he left? And you haven’t seen him since?” Barbara asked, handing Nic a cup of coffee.

She’d just gotten out of the shower when Barbara had knocked on the door wanting to know how Nic was feeling.

“He left. Said he’d give me some time to myself so I don’t feel overwhelmed by him.” She sighed. She would’ve preferred for him to stick around and talk to her. Tell her how he felt. What he wanted. But no, he’d gone and any question she had for him would have to wait.

Barbara shook her head. “Those boys. I swear I should’ve smacked them upside their heads more often. Maybe then they’d have listened to me.”

Nic leaned back on the sofa. She’d put on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, not ready to face the world by being dressed up. A new knock sounded on the door.

“Stay there. I got it.” Barbara stood and opened the door. It was Jordan, Ellie and Emma.

The three stopped when they got a good look at Nic.

Jordan gasped. “Damn.”

“Wow,” Ellie choked.

“What the hell happened to you?” Emma asked bluntly.

Barbara frowned. “She had a rough night.”

“We heard,” Jordan chastised. “You couldn’t grab a phone and call us when you decided to pop the question? Apparently half the bar stopped dead in their tracks to listen to you.”

“They cheered her on too.” Barbara chuckled. “It was very . . . entertaining. I think the part where she asked everyone to sing ‘happy wedding day to you’ really took the cake.”

Nic sighed, embarrassed beyond belief. She’d never be able to show her face in that bar again. “I married Jake. And now I have no idea what to do.”

All the others nodded as if they understood her dilemma.

“Where’s the food?” Jordan asked, rubbing her stomach.

“Should be here soon.” Nic leaned back into the soft leather sofa she was curled in.

“We think better around food,” Emma said. She shrugged at Nic’s grimace. “You know it’s true.”

Twenty minutes later with enough food to feed an army, Shaari joined them.

“He mated you!” She gasped, her pretty eyes wide. “If that doesn’t tell you how he feels, I don’t know what would.”

“Um, words?” Nic replied. Yeah, that would be nice. To know how he feels. What he’s thinking. Hell, something other than the mask of a dirty-talking sexy womanizer he hides behind.

“Hell yeah. We need those words.” Emma bit into a pastry. The icing spread over her fingers in a sticky mess. She then licked them individually.

“I don’t understand.” Shaari frowned. “Why are these words so important?”

Jordan hugged a throw pillow to her chest and answered, “Because we are human women. Well, I used to be anyway. When you’re human, you can’t scent emotions, arousal, fear or lies. All you can do is hope that the person is telling you the truth.”

“And if he never tells you?” Shaari’s eyes turned sad.

“Then you’re always going to wonder. Even if someone does things to show you he loves you, the fact is, we want to hear those words. We want to make sure our feelings are returned. We want to be loved.”

“Unless you don’t know how to love,” Nic whispered. A sharp new aching taking hold of her heart.

“How could you not know? Everyone knows.” Ellie sat on the arm of the sofa Nic was curled on and played with her hair.

Nic shook her head. “I don’t have a bad family. They’re just very cold people. I don’t know what being loved feels like.”

“Of course you do!” Barbara jumped in. “You love Letty.”

“She’s my sister. I care about her deeply. I don’t know what this love between most couples is about.” She sat up, trying to explain a little better. “My mother didn’t show emotion unless it was superficial. Approval or disapproval over something she wanted or something we did.”

“You mean there weren’t any hugs or kisses?” Emma asked, sipping on her coffee.

Nic shook her head. “Never. Dina didn’t allow for displays of affection at any time. Our family was the cream of the crop and we were to behave as such. No crying, screaming or acting up. And certainly no hugging or kissing. That would’ve messed up her makeup.”

“What a b***h!” Barbara snapped. “I hugged my babies until...okay, I still hug my babies. Even though they hate it. I hug my adopted babies too.” She grinned at Jordan and Emma.

“And we love every single hug too!” Emma winked.

“So how could I know what love is? I have never really felt much of anything before. I’ve always been afraid to open myself up to pain after seeing what it can do to allow someone else to control your feelings,” Nic said honestly.

“Oh, honey.” Barbara sat on the other arm of the sofa and pulled Nicole in for a hug. “Jake loves you. He’s just really stupid about showing it.”

Jordan snorted. “Don’t feel bad, Nic. They all are.” She popped a piece of muffin in her mouth. “It took Ellie and Barbara pushing them to go to us during the scenting ceremony for them to move their asses.”

A new knock sounded at the door. Shaari stood to open it. It was a security guard with an envelope. He handed it to Shaari and left.

Nic watched Shaari sniff, her brows rising with interest. “It’s for you, Nic.”

“The smell told you that?” Emma gasped.

Shaari grinned. “No, it has her name on it.”

Nic chuckled and grabbed the envelope out of Shaari’s hands. Sure enough it had her name scrolled in the front with a bold masculine writing.

Inside the envelope, there was an invitation to a private dinner. From Grady Harris.